April 4, 2006
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive announced Tuesday that University of South Carolina men’s tennis player Tom Eklund, and diver Tracey Richardson, are finalists for the 2005-2006 H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. Each finalist will receive a $5,000 scholarship for post-graduate studies.
As finalists, Eklund and Richardson are among the 24 student-athletes from which the Boyd McWhorter Scholar Athlete of the Year will be chosen. The SEC Faculty Athletics Representatives Boyd McWhorter Selection Committee will choose the outstanding male and female student-athlete and award the recipients a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship.
Eklund, a senior from Hollviken, Sweden, is expected to graduate in December 2006 with a degree in finance. After competing in the 2005 NCAA Singles Championships, the first team All-SEC member was ranked 15th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s 2005-06 preseason singles poll. Eklund, who is also the team captain and the Gamecocks’ No. 1 singles player, is a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection.
Richardson, a senior from Essex, England, is an honorable mention All-American, a four-time NCAA Zone qualifier, and a three-time NCAA participant. She is the 2002-03 three-meter SEC Champion and a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection. Richardson, who also represented Great Britain in the 2004 Olympics, expects to graduate in May with a double major in management and finance.
Nominees for the McWhorter Award were selected on outstanding and meritorious academic and athletic achievements during the student-athlete’s entire career.
The winners of the McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be announced on Thursday, April 6, in conjunction with Student-Athlete Day.
FEMALE WINNERS
ALABAMA, Beth Mallory, Track and Field, Ashland, Ohio
ARKANSAS, Dana McQuillan, Gymnastics, West Orange, New Jersey
AUBURN, Angela Homan, Track and Field, Spencerville, Ohio
FLORIDA, Sara Lowe, Basketball, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
GEORGIA, Lauren Burks, Track and Field, Cottage Grove, Minnesota
KENTUCKY, Vicki Goss, Rifle, Palmyra, Pennsylvania
LSU, Stephanie Hill, Softball, Harahan, Louisiana
OLE MISS, Hillary Beckman, Soccer, Anchorage, Kentucky
MISSISSIPPI STATE, Callye Williams, Softball, Katy, Texas
SOUTH CAROLINA, Tracey Richardson, Swimming and Diving, Essex, England
TENNESSEE, Betsy Brockman, Swimming and Diving, Batavia, Ohio
VANDERBILT, Erica Grimaldi, Basketball, Kansas City, Missouri
MALE WINNERS
ALABAMA, DeMeco Ryans, Football, Bessemer, Alabama
ARKANSAS, Eric Brown, Track and Field, Baldwin City, Kansas
AUBURN, Douglas Van Wie, Swimming and Diving, Charlotte, North Carolina
FLORIDA, Darren O’Day, Baseball, Jacksonville, Florida
GEORGIA, Ryan Schnetzer, Football, Newnan, Georgia
KENTUCKY, Taylor Begley, Football, Danville, Kentucky
LSU, Rudy Niswanger, Football, Monroe, Louisiana
OLE MISS, Sidney McLaurin, Football, Brandon, Mississippi
MISSISSIPPI STATE, Jose Pinto, Tennis, Sao Paulo, Brazil
SOUTH CAROLINA, Tom Eklund, Tennis, Hollviken, Sweden
TENNESSEE, Matthew Lapp, Cross Country, Coatesville, Pennsylvania
VANDERBILT, Tyler Harlan, Cross Country, Fayetteville, Arkansas
